Taking Back the Narrative

Every country and culture thrives on story. Bolstered by narrative, the world is itself a narrative of the age-old struggle between good and evil.

But the main Storyteller is being supplanted by other, lesser storytellers. God and His commandments are being taken out of the picture, and the stories of our children’s lives are being rewritten with a secularist slant.

How is this happening? In their classrooms, on TV and the internet, and at the mall, children are being taught—blatantly and subtly—three major ideas:

There are no absolutes (which is an absolute statement, if I ever heard one).

Every day, children are learning that acting out, saying whatever comes to mind, and posting whatever they want on the internet are just ways of expressing themselves.

Our increasingly secularist society is teaching the next generation that there is no “right and wrong.” It’s within your rights to do or say whatever you want—just as long as you don’t kill anyone. Even if you do, no worries. You might be mentally unstable.

We are becoming afraid to stand for anything, so we are beginning to stand for nothing.

Truth is relative.

If there are (maybe) no absolutes, then maybe we can make up what we want to believe. After all, Americans customize everything. It’s what we do. Houses, burgers, vacation packages, religions—you name it, we tweak it to fit our tastes and lifestyles.

Truth is what you want it to be. If you want to believe in hell, that’s nice. If you don’t, that’s nice too.

Everyone is a winner.

Everyone gets a medal, a gold star, and a pat on the back. After all, we don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Our kids don’t have to work to be great; they already are. They don’t have to climb the corporate ladder; they’re special and they deserve the best, regardless of effort. They don’t need to work to provide for their families; the government will take care of them.

What are we telling them? They’re special. And communism works.

Our children are fast becoming the moral and spiritual casualties of a casual society. We are becoming afraid to stand for anything, so we are beginning to stand for nothing.

Nothing, that is, but mediocrity.

In a room full of sitting people, the one who stands up stands out. If you stand for something, your kids will see it. If you stand for truth, for absolutes, and for God, you will redirect the audience back to the real story and the ultimate Storyteller.

So, where do you start?

Read the Bible. It’s a history book, a guidebook for life, and most importantly, the Word of God and absolute Truth.

Research the facts. (They can’t put anything on the internet that isn’t true, right?)

And don’t let the village raise your children.

Your kids are your kids—regardless of what the government would like you to believe.